"I never promised you a rose garden. I never promised you perfect justice . . . and I never promised you peace of happiness. My help is so that you can be free to fight for all of those things. The only reality I offer is challenge, and being well is being free to accept it or not at whatever level you are capable. I never promise lies, and the rose-garden world of perfection is a lie . . . and a bore, too!" --Dr. Fried (Greenberg 103)
I Never Promised You A Rose Garden by Joanne Greenberg, is a book about 16 year-old Deborah Blau, who doctors have diagnosed as schizophrenic. The book talks about her struggle in the mental hospital, her imaginary world of Yr, and her sessions with Dr. Fried, a doctor determined to bring Deborah back into reality.
Plot Summary
The book begins with what seems to be a very ordinary family: A father, a mother, and their teenage daughter. They appear to be doing a very ordinary activity: they are driving to a coffee shop. There is, however, one problem... The daughter does not speak. She seems to be off in her own little world. That's because she is. She is Deborah Blau, and her parents, although they do not want to, are sending her to a mental hospital. Deborah sits in her imaginary world of Yr, sometimes oblivious to the realilty around her.
For a while after arriving at the hospital, Deborah wanders around in Yr, and we meet some of the "Gods" in her world. These "Gods" gave her comfort at first, but now seem to dictate her life. Anterrabae, Collect, Lactamaeon, Censor, and Idat are the controlling Gods keeping her locked in Yr whenever she tries to break back into reality. Some of the Gods criticize her, and some attempt to prevent her from revealing Yr's existance.
Meanwhile... Deborah's parents do not want the rest of their family to know about her illness. They tell everyone else that she is at a convalescant school. "Close your eyes and it won't exist; everything will be fine-fine-fine." (Greenberg 125)
Shortly after her arrival, she meets with a doctor: Dr. Fried. She firmly believes that Deborah can fully recover from her illness. After mulitiple sessions, the book reveals many things that happened in Deborah's past. She had been traumatized by a surgery for cancer when she was younger, and by an anti-Jewish summer camp she attended (Deborah is Jewish). She also looks back on her past with her family. Her father had an anger problem and occasionally hit her. Her grandfather didn't care about her as a person; he just wanted her to grow up successful to "show everyone" who disliked him in the past because of his Jewish heritage. Throughout the book, she repeatedly injures herself, using matched, cigarettes, or whatever else she can get her hands on.
Deborah's best friend at the hospital is a patient named Carla, who she talks and gossips with. When Carla moves to "B" Ward (a sign that she is recovering), Deborah asks to go as well. At one point, they run away from the hospital together, only to return later that night.
Back home, Deborah's family is still trying to hide the truth about her illness from everyone around them. Eventually, however, they have to tell their second daughter, Suzy, the truth. "Sitting stiffly, she began to tell her younger daughter that Deborah's "convalescant school" was a hospital; her doctors, psychiatrists; her illness not physical but mental." --Esther (Greenberg 125)
The rest of the book describes Deborah's various struggles over the three years that she is at the hospital. The major turning point in the book for Deborah is when she, once again, attempts to burn herself, and actually feels pain! She is excited about this development, and is able to gradute from high school and live in an apartment. However, Yr is still a part of her. Eventually, she realizes that she that she will, once and for all, have to choose between her safe world of Yr, and the uncertainty of real life. Can she say good-bye? Can she abandon the world which gave her comfort for so many years? Can she, finally, escape to the real world?
All of these questions (and more) are answered in this exceptional book!
Would I Recommend It?
At first, I thought this book would be really depressing. I pretty much just read the first book I saw on the list. I figured that it would be boring and I would just read it because I had to. Instead, I found that it was actually very emotional and inspiring. I really felt like I was in Deborah's position throughout this book. As I read about her struggle, I found myself rooting for her to get well, and being angry with the "bad" characters. I enjoyed reading about the various colorful characters as well. Admittedly, some of the book was kind of boring or hard to read, but the majority was very enjoyable. It's not a romance novel like many others; it's not for anyone who wants a cute/sappy love story. However, I would definetly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys different read.
Why Is This Book Outstanding?
This book is outstanding because it really gives you a look into what a person with a mental illness might think like. The descriptions of her thoughts, her actions, and her imaginary world are very detailed, and throughtout most of the book, I felt like I was right there. It was also very emotional. The various feelings she has-- whether it is misery (which happens often) or joy (which is rare), it's like you can almost feel what she does. All of the characters, even the minor ones, are very well-written. That is why this book is outstanding.
"I never promised you a rose garden. I never promised you perfect justice . . . and I never promised you peace of happiness. My help is so that you can be free to fight for all of those things. The only reality I offer is challenge, and being well is being free to accept it or not at whatever level you are capable. I never promise lies, and the rose-garden world of perfection is a lie . . . and a bore, too!" --Dr. Fried (Greenberg 103)
I Never Promised You A Rose Garden by Joanne Greenberg, is a book about 16 year-old Deborah Blau, who doctors have diagnosed as
schizophrenic.
The book talks about her struggle in the mental hospital, her imaginary world of Yr, and her sessions with Dr. Fried, a doctor determined to bring Deborah back into reality.
Plot Summary
The book begins with what seems to be a very ordinary family: A father, a mother, and their teenage daughter. They appear to be doing a very ordinary activity: they are driving to a coffee shop. There is, however, one problem... The daughter does not speak. She seems to be off in her own little world. That's because she is. She is Deborah Blau, and her parents, although they do not want to, are sending her to a mental hospital. Deborah sits in her imaginary world of Yr, sometimes oblivious to the realilty around her.
For a while after arriving at the hospital, Deborah wanders around in Yr, and we meet some of the "Gods" in her world. These "Gods" gave her comfort at first, but now seem to dictate her life. Anterrabae, Collect, Lactamaeon, Censor, and Idat are the controlling Gods keeping her locked in Yr whenever she tries to break back into reality. Some of the Gods criticize her, and some attempt to prevent her from revealing Yr's existance.
Meanwhile... Deborah's parents do not want the rest of their family to know about her illness. They tell everyone else that she is at a convalescant school. "Close your eyes and it won't exist; everything will be fine-fine-fine." (Greenberg 125)
Shortly after her arrival, she meets with a doctor: Dr. Fried. She firmly believes that Deborah can fully recover from her illness. After mulitiple sessions, the book reveals many things that happened in Deborah's past. She had been traumatized by a surgery for cancer when she was younger, and by an anti-Jewish summer camp she attended (Deborah is Jewish). She also looks back on her past with her family. Her father had an anger problem and occasionally hit her. Her grandfather didn't care about her as a person; he just wanted her to grow up successful to "show everyone" who disliked him in the past because of his Jewish heritage. Throughout the book, she repeatedly injures herself, using matched, cigarettes, or whatever else she can get her hands on.
Deborah's best friend at the hospital is a patient named Carla, who she talks and gossips with. When Carla moves to "B" Ward (a sign that she is recovering), Deborah asks to go as well. At one point, they run away from the hospital together, only to return later that night.
Back home, Deborah's family is still trying to hide the truth about her illness from everyone around them. Eventually, however, they have to tell their second daughter, Suzy, the truth. "Sitting stiffly, she began to tell her younger daughter that Deborah's "convalescant school" was a hospital; her doctors, psychiatrists; her illness not physical but mental." --Esther (Greenberg 125)
The rest of the book describes Deborah's various struggles over the three years that she is at the hospital. The major turning point in the book for Deborah is when she, once again, attempts to burn herself, and actually feels pain! She is excited about this development, and is able to gradute from high school and live in an apartment. However, Yr is still a part of her. Eventually, she realizes that she that she will, once and for all, have to choose between her safe world of Yr, and the uncertainty of real life. Can she say good-bye? Can she abandon the world which gave her comfort for so many years? Can she, finally, escape to the real world?
All of these questions (and more) are answered in this exceptional book!
Would I Recommend It?
At first, I thought this book would be really depressing. I pretty much just read the first book I saw on the list. I figured that it would be boring and I would just read it because I had to. Instead, I found that it was actually very emotional and inspiring. I really felt like I was in Deborah's position throughout this book. As I read about her struggle, I found myself rooting for her to get well, and being angry with the "bad" characters. I enjoyed reading about the various colorful characters as well. Admittedly, some of the book was kind of boring or hard to read, but the majority was very enjoyable. It's not a romance novel like many others; it's not for anyone who wants a cute/sappy love story. However, I would definetly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys different read.
Why Is This Book Outstanding?
This book is outstanding because it really gives you a look into what a person with a mental illness might think like. The descriptions of her thoughts, her actions, and her imaginary world are very detailed, and throughtout most of the book, I felt like I was right there. It was also very emotional. The various feelings she has-- whether it is misery (which happens often) or joy (which is rare), it's like you can almost feel what she does. All of the characters, even the minor ones, are very well-written. That is why this book is outstanding.